Optics of Time
by Invader Mel
Summary: Dib finds out about his mother...and another sister. She's in a critical condition, and he hopes to make it in time. And what does Gaz's subconscious have to do with it?
1. Girl in the Snow on the Twenty-Fourth

Optics of Time  
  
NOTE: Some characters act AWFULLY OOC at certain points, but things are explained at the end, so please bear with me. Also, it's a little Twilight Zonish at the end, and if you don't really understand, I'll try to write it clearer. Thanks!  
  
Girl in the Snow on the Twenty-Fourth  
  
A girl looked up from the ground as the first light of day reached her eyelids. It was Christmas Eve. She yawned, and realized she was seriously injured. This girl's name was Kat, a lonely girl, who didn't know where she came from. Her mother had taken care of her alone, since her father had died before she was born, but when she died, Kat had run away. Now, she lived on the streets, without a skool education. She'd stopped going to skool in the third grade. Now, though she'd be in fourth grade, she felt she could never go back and face the world once more.  
  
"I've been living by myself for one year now...." she mused out loud. It startled her to hear her own voice after so long. The last time had probably been when she tumbled down a slippery dirt hill and scraped her knee against some sharp rocks. Two weeks ago. Normally she talked aloud to herself, to tell herself what to do. It was a hard life, but she felt fit for it. She felt as alone when around people as she felt when she wasn't.  
  
Kat had long, dark blue hair with streaks of black. She wore glasses, though things were still pretty blurry, considering she needed a much stronger prescription by now. She was pretty tall, at five foot one, and would look like a very pretty young girl if it weren't for her tattered look.  
  
Only one possession she could call hers - a laptop computer her mother had given her. Whenever she needed food, or new clothes, she'd write an article for a magazine called "Crop Circles Magazine." She got paid just enough to get by. Of course, she had to mail it, because they didn't allow children to write articles. She began to eat her meal for the day - a slice of bread - and then commenced in writing the next month's article.  
  
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Dib opened up the latest issue of Crop Circles Magazine and flipped through it. A picture caught his eye, for it showed the face of someone who looked familiar somehow. He wasn't sure why, for it was the picture of a girl whom he'd never seen before. She'd run away a year ago, after the death of her mother caused by drunken teenagers. "How sad..." Dib said to himself. The girl smiling in the picture back at him looked like she didn't have a care in the world. He imagined her, scared, cold, and alone, maybe even dead. It also showed a picture of her mother, killed two years ago after leaving her husband. She had been declared insane enough to not have custody over her kids, but the girl who'd run away, Kat, had been born afterwards.  
  
Dib scanned the article some more, and then saw his name. Why would his name be there? He read the whole sentence: "She had a sister and brother she never knew, named Gaz and Dib." Staring in awe and disbelief, he wondered how many other families there were with a father who had two children named Gaz and Dib with their mother missing. He proceeded to read the entire article. His mother's name was Ari.  
  
Dib ran to his father's lab inside the house and tugged on his lab coat. "Dad! DAD! Kat ran away!"  
  
"Kat?" Dib suddenly remembered that Kat had been born later.  
  
"Mom's been murdered!"  
  
"Where did you hear this, son?"  
  
"I was reading Crop Circles Magazine, and it said she lost custody, and then Kat was born, and, and she ran away! And...Dad, what happened?" Prof. Membrane sighed deeply, set his tools down for once, and crouched down to where his son was standing.  
  
"I was afraid this day would come. You see...your mother believed in the paranormal. She didn't like that I wouldn't open myself to it. So, she left, and wanted the rights of custody. I couldn't stand you being taken away from me, so we went to court. You were only about a year old, and Gaz was only a few months old. Your mother was pregnant, but didn't tell me for fear that she'd lose another child too. I knew, though. I didn't want to sadden her, so I didn't tell anyone.  
  
"The court found her insane, just enough to not be able to take care of children. The court was wrong! She's not insane! I was sad for her, but didn't want to give you up, either. I have a confession to make, Dib. I know you're not insane. I just didn't want the same thing to happen to you. I don't want you to be dragged out of a courtroom, screaming and yelling for mercy. I couldn't bear it then, and I can't bear it now!"  
  
"So...that's why you don't approve of me studying the paranormal? Not because you think it's all ridiculous?"  
  
"I think it's ludicrous, but I don't think you're crazy because of it. They just don't understand how you see things. You're very intelligent, and intelligence can lead to either study."  
  
"You mean you were just trying to protect me from all that?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But Dad, I know what it's like. I can handle it. But thanks. What about Mom? And Kat? What about them?"  
  
"I'm afraid I don't know the answers to those questions. Could you do me a favor and find out? I'm sorry about spending so much time working. I promise I'll make time."  
  
"Thanks." Dib headed back to the living room and turned the television on. It was channel six news (the WHUH station.) A female voice came onto the screen.  
  
"...In sadder news, a ten-year-old girl was found in the snow, frozen half to death, with long blue hair and glasses. She had a laptop computer with her, and on it hundreds of files of research. Apparently, she was trying to track down her family. On hand were a few photographs, of a young boy about her age, and a girl. Labeled on the back of each are the names 'Dib' and 'Gaz.' She has been identified as Kat Membrane, who was living with her mother, Ari, until she died two years ago. She has been missing since. It is now apparent that the two photographs were cut out of a skool yearbook and are her brother and sister. We pray for the family of this lost girl. In other news..."  
  
Dib's jaw dropped at the sight of his sister, Kat, in the snow. Tears welled at his eyes and he picked up the issue of Crop Circles Magazine and looked at her picture. To the side, he saw an article written by her. It described Zim being an alien, and what she had observed in his efforts at stopping him. The line it concluded with was this: "And one last confession on my part - I am Dib's long-lost sister." He pressed the magazine close to him, and tried to imagine the cheerful Kat in the picture rather than the one lying in the snow. It was no use. He pressed the magazine closer, so much so that it crinkled.  
  
His sister was into the paranormal. She believed him. She was a dream come true. Her being frozen in the snow was a nightmare come true. "My life has been so easy compared with hers...she doesn't even know me...but in a way, she does, doesn't she? She knows about my exploits in trying to stop Zim. My dearest sister. Her life was so hard. I can't even comprehend what it was like for her. I can't just sit here. I need to go to her. I hope she's still alive..." The thought scared him, so he shook it off. He bolted out the door and ran to the hospital, where he figured she'd be.  
  
Unfortunately, on his way he encountered Zim. "Hey! Dib-monkey! Where are you on your way this time?! To the nearest mental hospital?!"  
  
"I don't have time for these games, ZIM!" he said through clenched teeth.  
  
"What? Does the worm have someplace IMPORTANT to go?!"  
  
"My sister is dying, Zim, and I can't afford to waste any time!" he took off, but Zim tackled him.  
  
"Why do you think I'd care about you and your little problems?" Dib punched him in the jaw, causing Zim to bleed profusely. He tried to continue running, but couldn't since he'd sprained his leg. Instead, he walked as fast as he could. It was a little while afterward when he reached it.  
  
Dib stepped up to the receptionist for direction. "Do you know where Kat Membrane is?"  
  
"I'm sorry, only family is allowed."  
  
"I am her family! I'm her brother!"  
  
"Room 238A. Here, you'll need an admittance card." She handed him a small piece of paper reading: "Admittance." He ran to the room despite how very tired he was already and the phenomenal pain it triggered. As he neared the room, he saw some doctors pulling out a cart with sheets covering a form. Dib realized that they were pulling a body out of room 238A.  
  
"Kat? KAT! KAT, NO!" Dib pulled the sheet up and saw her. "Oh, Kat...no...." Her face was cold, blue, and lifeless. She was even more spectacular a sight in person. The girl he never knew - his sister. He picked her up into his arms, and coaxed her. "I swear, if you don't survive, I'm going to rip Zim's throat out for stalling me." He pressed his face to hers and kissed her cheek. A faint breathing could be heard. Kat's eyes opened briefly, and she kissed Dib on the cheek. Her eyes closed once more, and as a smile spread on her face the words that made him cry formed,  
  
"I love you, Dib. Thank you." She died right there in his arms.  
  
"KAT! KAT, SPEAK TO ME! KAT! I LOVE YOU! KAT, NO! DON'T DIE!" The doctors covered her face, and carted her around the corner. Dib stood there, watching them take his sister away. Tears fell freely as he thought about her. 'My mom and my sister are...no. I can't even think it. I love them too much, and I never even knew them.'  
  
Dib arrived home a couple hours later, where his sister Gaz greeted him. Her eyes opened wide at his sight. "Dad, he's here."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Dib, Dad's been calling the police, the fire department, everyone! He heard about them finding Kat in the snow, and thought you'd do something drastic."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I don't know for sure."  
  
"I want to be alone."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Kat died." With those words, he walked up to his room and locked the door. Looking at the article again, he thought about the time he first discovered he even HAD another sister. That was just a few hours ago. "Kat...can you hear me? I just wanted to say, that I love you. You were a very good sister, even though I never knew you. I can tell it. That Zim! I will tear his limbs apart one by one! But you...I just want to know how you lived. Learn more about you. Find out who you are." Before him, an apparition appeared. "Kat? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Dib, you are correct. I am Kat. I overheard you talking to me. I thought it would be unkind to leave you alone. In losing me, you lost a sister. So I will arrange that you cross paths with a friend who will understand you."  
  
"What about...Mom? Is she okay?"  
  
"She will be all right, so long as you are all right. If you're ever in harm, she will be in harm. If you are happy, she will be happy."  
  
"Are you...solid?"  
  
"Yes. Completely." Dib held his youngest sister tightly, and she hugged him back. And, for the first time in their lives, they felt a special bond between siblings.  
  
"Kat? I have a question. What's it like to die?"  
  
"It's really depends on the situation, Dib. But for me, it was pleasant. You were right there, holding me. You didn't say with words that you loved me, but you showed me. That's just as good. I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life. Thanks to you."  
  
"Zim stalled me. If it had been a few seconds more, I would've missed you."  
  
"Even just your effort would mean the world to me."  
  
"Kat, can you stay here? Please?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Dib. I really wish that could be. I will visit you often, as often as possible, but I can't just stay here. I will have to move on eventually. But I'll wait until you don't need me anymore. You're a very wonderful person, and you're going to be very successful. I love you, and it is here I leave you."  
  
"Kat?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
"Goodbye." She disappeared, and Dib looked to where she had stood. A piece of paper was in her place. It read:  
  
"Dib -  
  
I know you're sad, so I left you a little something.  
  
Kat"  
  
Underneath the paper was a dust-covered laptop. Dib opened it, turned it on, and realized to whom it belonged - Kat. He felt the compulsion to open up a certain document labeled 'Goodbye.' He read, and cried. It was a note saying goodbye to the world. She had known she would die. She had planned it.  
  
"Oh, Kat...no...how could you...? I love you, Kat, I love you...." He sat there, staring intently at the screen, reading the words carefully each time, making sure they were fully real. The more he read them, the more he couldn't believe it. Dib stared at the computer screen repeating this process for hours. Time dragged on, and he kept doing this, until midnight. It was then he fell asleep, and woke up in his bed after a restless sleep. 


	2. Shi no Asa (Death's Morning)

Shi no Asa (Death's Morning)  
  
Morning. 'Did I go to bed last night?' Dib thought to himself. "What a Christmas. My long-lost sister is dead." Dib descended the stairway and found Gaz by the tree, already opening presents. "Gaz, how could you just break into the presents like that? What about Kat?"  
  
"Relax, Dib, I'm getting something for you. Dad put it under there last night for you. It's supposed to be something real special." Dib couldn't remember the last time she'd acted so nice toward him. She picked one out and tossed it to him. He caught it, and began to open it. Inside was a 10x10 picture of Kat.  
  
"This could be my only gift, and I'd be happier than ever." It was framed, and with glass in front. He stared deeply into it with adoration in his eyes. It was a treasured gift, indeed.  
  
"I saw you last night. You fell asleep at your computer. I've never seen you like that."  
  
"It wasn't mine, Gaz. It was Kat's."  
  
"What are you talking about, Dib?"  
  
"I saw her - her spirit gave it to me. I was reading a note by her. It even says 'Property of Kat Membrane' on it. I - I'll show you." Dib headed upstairs and retrieved the laptop. He brought it down carefully, so as to not damage it. Then, he opened up the document labeled 'Goodbye.' Gaz read it herself, and gasped.  
  
"Sh-she, she -"  
  
"She killed herself." Dib hugged his sister, not to annoy her, but just because he needed a hug. And, rather than pulverizing him, Gaz allowed him to do this, for even she could see how insecure he was. His whole being quivered, and a steady flow of tears made their way down his face. "Gaz, don't ever do what she did! I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
'Dib's lost it...' Gaz thought, 'It's like he doesn't have any dignity anymore! He's acting like an emotional fool!'  
  
"Gaz...you're so precious to me. I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
"Why am I that important to you? It's not like we ever talk to each other."  
  
"Just knowing that you're alive...just knowing that I have a sister to be proud of. After all, who else is the champion video gamer of all-time? I smile when I think about you. Don't you know that?" Gaz shook her head. "I do." They embraced once more, this time fully realizing how they thought of each other.  
  
Prof. Membrane walked inside and saw this. It brought him joy to see the two of them hugging and actually enjoying being around each other, which was good news after the discovery that his youngest daughter Kat had died. They perked up at his presence and ran up to him. "I thought you were working late again," Gaz stated.  
  
"I got today off."  
  
"Really?" Dib inquired.  
  
"Yes. And tomorrow. And the day after that."  
  
"Aren't you going to work again?"  
  
"Yes. Not for a while, though. I'm getting another job."  
  
"What kind of job?"  
  
"Let me explain this way. I saw your mother last night."  
  
"But Dad, she's, she's -"  
  
"Yes. I know. But I saw her."  
  
"You mean - a ghost?"  
  
"Yes. That's what I mean. I'm going to be a paranormal investigator." Dib's jaw dropped, as did Gaz's. They both knew he was a complete skeptic. He normally would've explained away the apparition as some hallucination. Whatever would drive him to choose THAT profession would certainly be nothing to sneeze at.  
  
"Why do you suddenly believe in ghosts, Dad?"  
  
"Your mother told me. And even if it was some psychological reaction in my head, it means the same thing. This is what I have to do."  
  
"Dad, did you give me this picture of Kat?"  
  
"No. Where did you get that?"  
  
"Gaz said it was your gift to me." They looked to Gaz. "Gaz? You gave me this? Where'd you find it?"  
  
"I have my sources."  
  
"Gaz? Gaz! Thank you!" Dib hugged her once more and more tears fell. When he pulled himself away, he had tears dripping down his cheeks and an elated expression. "Thank you! You've all made this the best Christmas ever! Thank you!"  
  
"Dib, you still have presents under the tree."  
  
"I don't need anything else. But thank you, so much!"  
  
"Fine, Dib, if you won't open them, I guess I'll have to." She neared the pile of presents and picked one up. "Hmm...says here it's for someone named Dib. I guess he doesn't want his gift. Oh well, might as well just throw it into the trash...."  
  
"Wait!" Dib reached out and grabbed his present. It was a fairly large box, and was of medium weight. Unwrapping it, he saw what it was: A Barbie Doll Deluxe Beach House! "What?!" Gaz snickered.  
  
"Look inside the box, dummy!" Dib opened the box and found a pile of magazines - UFO Today, Crop Circles, Trailing Bigfoot - you name it.  
  
"Where'd you get these? Some of these are at least five years old!"  
  
"They're Kat's old magazines. From before Mom died. Before Kat ran away."  
  
"You mean...she once read and enjoyed these? Gaz, I can't..." She handed him a note, and he read aloud:  
  
"If ever something bad were to happen to me, I'd have to make sure that the ones I love know how I feel. I'd leave all my UFO magazines to my brother Dib, and all my video game magazines to my sister Gaz. And to my father, I leave a tape recording of myself. I love you all, and please lead happy lives.  
  
With Deepest Love and Adoration,  
  
Kat"  
  
"She knew she was going to die," Dib said, "And it's dated two and a half years ago."  
  
"What do you think, Dib?" Gaz inquired of him.  
  
"I think...I think the 'Goodbye' note she left was phony. I think she was murdered." A long silence blanketed them. "I'm going out." He put his coat on and took off.  
  
"I'm calling the police," the professor said.  
  
"Don't, Dad. He knows what he's doing."  
  
"Follow him, Gaz."  
  
"But Dad -"  
  
"Follow him!" Gaz put a jacket on and headed out.  
  
"Stupid Dib. Forcing me to spend my Christmas making sure he doesn't do anything reckless. Why should I have to?" She proceeded to follow him to the graveyard. The graveyard? What was he doing there? Kat hadn't been buried yet. He dropped down to his knees at one point, and stared straight ahead of him. Gaz hid behind a tree. She heard muffled sounds, whimpering, and was surprised when she grasped that it was Dib.  
  
"Mom...Mom, I love you..." he laid down flowers, and as the last few tears fell from his face, an annoying shriek was heard.  
  
"Ha! I've got you now, Dib-monkey! I'm taking advantage of your being weak at the moment! Prepare for your doom!"  
  
"If you must kill me, I'm glad it's here. My mom died just at that intersection over there."  
  
"Any last requests?"  
  
"Yes. Do you know who killed my sister Kat?"  
  
"Of course. I killed the filthy little worm yesterday, and concealed her in a pile of snow. She tried to interfere with my plans, and you know how much I don't tolerate interference." Dib's eyes opened wide, and then he charged at his enemy.  
  
"You horrible monster!" He began to choke him, until he was thrown off. Zim pointed a laser to his neck and swayed it back and forth.  
  
"That look on your face...it's exactly the same one your sister had on her face. I will enjoy this.... I had her write some false notes before she died. Isn't it amazing the resemblance you two bear? It's like killing you a second time." From behind the tree Gaz growled in fury as she watched this. Zim had killed her sister. She really did have something to hate him for. Looking to the ground just to her side, she saw a long sword. Without hesitation, she grabbed it and dashed toward Zim.  
  
It sliced through his shoulder with remarkable ease, causing him to fall down. Dib took the alien's laser, and pointed it to his neck. "Any last words, ZIM?"  
  
"I-I - you'll never get away with this!"  
  
"Yeah, right, Zim. You took Kat's life, and now I'll take yours."  
  
"Just finish him off already, Dib."  
  
"Gaz, stand back. This is between him and me."  
  
"You'll pay for this, Dib-monkey! I will get you back!"  
  
"Never! Because you'll be dead!"  
  
"Look! Kat's ghost!" Dib turned his head.  
  
"Kat? Wait, she's not -" Zim pulled the laser from his hand. First he aimed for Dib, but then to Gaz as she swung at him. She got hit before she could strike Zim. "NO! How stupid of me! Gaz! Do you hear me? Gaz! Gaz, wake up! Gaz, please, open your eyes! You shouldn't have come! Gaz? Speak to me!" Zim was coming up from behind, about to attack them.  
  
"Get away, Dib," the girl instructed.  
  
"No! Never!"  
  
"Stop being a fool and go home!"  
  
"No! I'm not leaving! Gaz, I'm staying right here with you. I love you." Dib held her, and saw Zim about to kill him. Things went in slow motion for him as his death neared. For a flickering moment, he thought he saw Kat, and then everything went blank.  
  
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Gaz blinked her eyes open and looked up. What happened? Her vision was blurred so greatly that it hurt to look anywhere besides the ceiling. Ceiling? Where was she? A nurse walked in and warmly said, "Ah, Gaz, nice to see that you're up."  
  
"Why is my vision so blurred?"  
  
"Well, you were injured badly with that laser. You need glasses. Here. We have a pair specially made for you right here. Try it on." Gaz fitted the glasses over the bridge of her nose. It was a great improvement indeed.  
  
"Dib."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Where is Dib?"  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I don't want to be the one to tell you, but...Dib passed away. He said something about giving a cat a second chance, or something. We think he was delirious."  
  
"Kat is our sister's name. She died yesterday, on Christmas Eve."  
  
"Yesterday? Christmas Eve? Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes." She knew it was a lie, probably the biggest she had ever told. Gaz carefully got out of the hospital bed and to the room next door, where Dib was. Upon opening the door, she thought she saw something flash by her, a luminous haze. She approached Dib, and looked at him. He seemed as if he were still alive.  
  
Timorously, she touched his cheek. Dead. As dead as the alien who attended skool soon would be. Tears were at her eyes. That hadn't happened since...since she could remember. "Dib, no! You have to understand! Kat doesn't want to be alive as much as I want you to be alive! I don't care that you and I never talk, just knowing you're alive and I can say, 'that's my brother, the genius.' I took you for granted! Dib, wake up! Please!" Some doctors dragged her out of the room, screaming and yelling, praying for mercy from all hindrances to her - the world.  
  
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One week later  
  
A couple doctors sat around on their coffee break. "And she was kicking and screaming about some girl named Kat who she claimed died on Christmas Eve."  
  
"When did you say this happened?"  
  
"Last week. Why?"  
  
"Because they just retrieved a girl from the snow named Kat Membrane, who had pictures of a girl and a boy - Gaz and Dib. They're her sister and brother. As a matter of fact, they didn't even know she existed until they saw on the news, probably. She was born after their mother left their father. Why was she in here, anyway?"  
  
"She just asked why her vision was blurred, turning out to be from a laser, scarring her frontal lobe, and where her brother was. Then she told me about Kat, who died on Christmas Eve. But she's still alive, isn't she?"  
  
"Yes, I believe so. But where on Earth did she get exposed to a laser?"  
  
"I don't know. But such exposure would cause a fracture in her chronological sense. That could explain how she thought it was Christmas eight days before it actually was." A scream broke their conversation.  
  
"KAT! KAT, SPEAK TO ME! KAT! I LOVE YOU! KAT, NO! DON'T DIE!"  
  
"What do you make of it?"  
  
"I have no idea. I have no idea." They departed, and went to help keep Dib away from Kat while they carted her body to the morgue. And so ends the tale of a girl who saw the future, and could not live with it. The tale of a girl who went 'insane.' An exercise in reason...in the Twilight Zone. 


End file.
